Hope Lives Eternal
by Lolly6
Summary: HgAh Meet Hope Harris daughter of renowned heroine Hermione Granger who died in the last battle and Xander Harris best friend of the slayer who also died in duty, on her 18 birthday she finds a letter from her mother which changes her world literally.
1. Chapter 1

Hope Lives Eternal  
  
Hope Adrienne Harris stood in front of vault number 3519 in Gringotts bank. She was eighteen years old and had been brought to Diagon Alley by her Grampa Giles, and Aunt Faith today so that she could pick out a birthday present to mark her coming of age.  
  
She got a beautiful tigers eye necklace that had a protection spell on it from Aunt Faith and a selection of books, which Grampa Giles said she would need for her training to become an auror.  
  
She wanted to get some new robes to take to the academy with her next week; the plain black mandatory robes, which she had worn at Hogwarts, would be out of place in the academy. So here she was standing outside the vault, which her mother and father had set up for her when she was born to get money for her robes.  
  
She didn't remember her mother at all; she had been killed in the final battle of the second war by a group of death eaters. She was one of the hero's who are always remembered on the anniversary of the battle, the famous Hermione Granger, best friends with the boy who lived. But a heroine in her own right, it had taken curses from twelve death eaters to finally bring her down.  
  
Her father was a Xander Harris best friend with the original slayer and the Red Witch of Sunnydale. The three had joined the fight against the dark Lord during her mothers sixth year at Hogwarts. Buffy Summers bringing the newly chosen slayers to Hogwarts fresh from their victory over the first.  
  
He had survived the final battle and lived in London with Grampa Giles and the Scooby's, they were the future, the new council better than ever.  
  
Her father could not become a watcher because of the loss of his eye, and he did not like to take up active patrol because he did not want to leave her on her own.  
  
Hope still remembered the last night she had seen him. She had been seven years old and her father had sat on the edge of her bed combing her hair like he always did before she went to bed, he had picked her up and put her in bed pulling the bed clothes over her and kissing her on the forehead before telling her that he was going out to help some of the slayers mount an attack against a local gang of vamps which had moved in. she had hugged him so tight not wanting to let go of him, he had kissed her again and pulled her arms from round his neck pushing her back down into bed and turning back only once before leaving the room to promise her that he would be back before morning.  
  
Which he was, well his mangled body at least. Aunt Faith had taken her into the room to see his body that morning when she had woken up and held her while she cried telling her it would be all right.  
  
She had hated him in that moment for braking his promise, it wasn't until years later when Faith had told her the true story about his death that she saw her father for what he was, a hero. And she loved him for it.  
  
She handed her key to the goblin Ginquo, who had brought her down through the tunnels. He placed the key in the lock and opened her vault, waiting outside while she entered it to grab some money.  
  
As she walked in, she noticed something on the floor, which she had not seen before. It was a thick bundle of paper, which had appeared in the centre of the vault, she walked forward, and picked it up, it had her name on it written beautiful curvaceous handwriting, which she had never seen before.  
  
She placed the paper in her pocket and grabbed a hand full of galleons before exiting the vault.  
  
Once she was back outside Gringotts, she looked at her watch and saw that she had half an hour before she had to meet Faith.  
  
She decided to go to Madame Kellick's café. She bought a cappuccino and sat under one of the multi coloured umbrellas out font, and pulling the bundle of papers out of her pocked she broke open the seal on the letter and settled down to read.  
  
My Darling Hope,  
  
How I hope that you will never have to read this, that I will be able to go to Gringotts tomorrow and remove this letter from your vault and destroy it before going home with you and your dad and being and watching you grow day by day for the rest of my life, into the beautiful woman I know that you'll become.  
  
Although this is my dream, I know that there is a chance it may be taken away from me in a couple of hours time when I enter into the biggest battle of my life, the final battle.  
  
Because of this I have decided to sit and watch you sleep and while I do that, to write you this letter so that even if I am gone you will know me.  
  
My name is Hermione Angela Granger, but hopefully not for long. If all goes to plan I'll soon be Hermione Angela Harris.  
  
Growing up I was a nerd, and proud of. I was a bookworm and I had dreams of becoming an auror, in my sixth year when I began to study for my exams a large group of new teachers arrived at the school, and among them was your father Xander. He helped Professor Summers to teach DADA but he wasn't like any of the other teachers, I talked to him a lot he understood me and would calm me down when I was upset. Our friendship was purely platonic during my time in the school any way.  
  
It wasn't until two years after I had graduated school and was a full member of the order that a love based relationship began to develop. I was twenty and he was twenty six, he was nervous about how the others would react having grown to respect the men whom I looked up to as brothers and father figures, Dumbledore, Sirius, Lupin, Harry and Ron. Not wanting to loose favour or anger with them by starting a relationship with me.  
  
It was Sirius and Lupin who reacted first when we told them about are relationship and asked for their approval; both jumped up from their seats hugged me and shook hands with Xander. I'm sure that it was their approval of the situation that prompted the other such as Harry and Ron to approve of it. Dumbledore Just sat there smiling with a twinkle in his eyes as if he had known all along.  
  
We had been seeing each other for three years before I found out that I was pregnant with you my darling, and I was so, so scared about what would happen to you, what would happen to us if the order failed.  
  
If it had not been for your father I doubt I would had coped through that hard time, I don't want you to think that you were not wanted my love, because you were. From the moment I found out about you I loved you I just wanted to be sure that the world would be a safe place for you to live in. And I was worried about what would happen during my pregnancy, because as you probably know that it is dangerous for a witch to use magic during her pregnancy, especially a muggle born witch for some reason, and because of this it meant that we would be basically defenceless from Death eaters at our home as Xander couldn't do magic. It was only when Sirius invited the two of us to live in the orders head quarters until my pregnancy was over, where we would be protected, that I finally relaxed.  
  
When you were born I knew what to call you the moment I saw you, you were my hope, manifested in a small helpless being given to me to care for. It was the day, which you were born that Xander finally proposed to me.  
  
Your eighteen months old now, and I love you more with each day. Through this darkness, which has enveloped my world. You and your dad are the only things, which give a light to show me the way.  
  
If I do die in the battle ahead, I want you to know one thing, never give up hope in life, there is always a way out or help available to you, and never ever think that you aren't lived cause believe me baby that there are a million people who love you apart from me.  
  
I hope with all my heart that you'll never read this, but if you do try not to be sad my love that I'm not with you any more I'm always with you.  
  
Love Mum  
  
Xxxx  
  
P.S. I've put a charm on the letter so that if I don't collect it, it will appear to you on your first visit to gringotts after your eighteenth birthday.  
  
P.P.S. I've also included some pictures, one of me and your father on are first date and the second is of me and your dad holding you the day you were born. Also there is a locket, which my mum gave to me on my eighteenth birthday, it contains a charm for peace.  
  
When Hope had finished the letter she was crying, she couldn't believe that she had something, which her mother had left her. She was always reading about her hermione the heroine but she had never really head from Hermione the mother.  
  
She reached through the bundle and pulled out the locket, it was heart shaped gold on the outside moving into silver with a small diamond in the centre on a delicate gold chain. She turned it over in her hands and seeing that it could be opened unfastened it finding two pictures on the inside one a picture of her mum when she was about fourteen or so in her school uniform with uncle Harry and uncle Ron sitting by the lake at Hogwarts. And the second was of her Grampa and Granny Granger who had died in a car crash when she was twelve.  
  
She unclasped the chain and placed it round her neck, fingering it for a moment before looking at her watch and seeing that she was late to meet faith. She gulped down the last drops of her of her cappuccino, before chucking down some Knuts and running down the street to Madame Pomfry's.  
  
Faith smiled as she saw the dark haired girl/woman running towards her, she was so like Xander it was almost scary, she had the same dark hair and deep soul searching chocolate eyes, there was a lot of her mum in there as well though. Hope was exceptionally bright and loved school, and had got top grades in all her OWLS and NEWTS something which she knew Xander would have been exceptionally proud of her for achieving, as would her mother.  
  
"Hey Babe, you didn't need to rush you know, shop's not closing for ages."  
  
Faith said with a wicked smirk as the girl tried to catch her breath.  
  
"I...Uh... Shut up!"  
  
"Is that all you got, haven't I taught you better than that?"  
  
Faith pretended to be disappointed in the younger girls response to her teasing before dragging her into the shop to buy robes.  
  
"Giles said he'll meet us back home later, he had to go before he spent all our money in that damn book shop I swear I going into panics every time we come down here that one day he's gonna trade the house for a stupid book... what about this one its quite pretty."  
  
Faith grumbled, as she pulled out a stunning pink robe, which had a simple cut and fell straight to the floor with a black hem.  
  
Hope looked at the robe for a moment held it up to her and looked in the mirror, it would look great on her she knew it, especially with the earrings Aunt Willow and Tara had sent her from America.  
  
She turned back to Faith and said  
  
"I think we have a winner."  
  
Several hours and Several robes later, they exited the shop having purchased the pink one, a turquoise one, a couple of black ones and a violet one which emphasised the colour of her short raven hair. Dusk was closing in as they left Diagon ally, Faith turned to Hope saying,  
  
"Will you be alright to walk home babe, I should start patrolling that's all,"  
  
Hope turned to Faith and said smiling  
  
"Faith I've been walking down these roads since I was a tiny girl I'll be fine, and you know that I can take anything that attacks me, Dad knew what he was doing when he made me take all those defence classes with the slayers you know."  
  
Faith smiled a sad smile as she always did whenever Xander was mentioned and said,  
  
"Yeah, your dad always did what was best for you sweetie always saw the best in you and everyone."  
  
Hope moved forward and hugged Faith for a moment; she knew that Faith had loved her dad. She hadn't ever said anything but she could tell. She also knew that her dad had cared about Faith, it was for her that he lost his life that night during the fight. Some vamps had pinned faith down and the leader was standing over her with a ceremonial dagger poised to finish her off and just as he was lowering the blade Xander had dived on top of her and died protecting her. Hope had never begrudged the affection her dad had obviously had for Faith knowing that it never meant that he loved her mum any less the love he had for Faith was different but no less real.  
  
"Ok Faith, don't be late, or you'll miss the film."  
  
"What is it tonight again?"  
  
Hope smiled and said  
  
"I don't know but Buffy's over with Bill..."  
  
Faith looked at her a moment and said  
  
"Oh God do you think I can find an apocalypse in the next couple of minutes? Anything but B's choice of film!"  
  
They both parted with grins on their faces.  
  
As she walked Hope, had a thought and quickly changed direction. She was only a couple of blocks away from home but she needed to go somewhere first.  
  
She looked around at the familiar scenery of Our Countries Greatest Fallen Cemetery; she came here a couple of times a year normally. On anniversaries, birthdays and Christmas, she had been here only yesterday, to mark her own birthday.  
  
But here she was again, she stood in front of the two tombstones on which her parent's names were etched, next to them was her mother's parents and on of her mothers best friends from school Ronald Weasley, he had died in the same battle as her mother, for a while he had had her mothers heart she knew that without being told. She could see the love, which they had had for each other shinning through their eyes in the pictures she had of them when they were in the lower school, before Hermione had met her father.  
  
Looking at her watch she knew that she shouldn't be there. It was late and this was not a place, which was patrolled that often, heroes hardly ever rise again once they're laid to rest. She knelt down in front of her mother's marker and traced the outline of the letters, which assembled her mother's name.  
  
"Hey Mammy"  
  
She whispered softly,  
  
"I guess you're surprised to see me here again, I went.... I got your letter today. The one you wrote me before you died. I want you to know that I love you mum, I really do. And I guess I understand you better now. You've always been this hero of war, when they find out that I'm your daughter they look at me twice just to try and see if they can spot anything of the hero.... You in me. And I used to hate you for it. Not knowing whether I was being assessed for me or for you. But now, I realise I am you, and you are me. And I love you so much."  
  
Tears were falling freely down her cheeks as she continued, saying  
  
"I wish things could be different, I'd trade anything, my life, my friends anything to have you back, to grow up with you as my mother."  
  
A figure stepped out from the shadows, her face hidden by a black hood, on hearing the last words, which Hope, ushered her eyes glowed a brilliant white and she said  
  
"Done." 


	2. Chapter 2

She sat looking at her parent's tombs for a while before picking up her bags and leaving the cemetery, as she walked home she started to feel more and more exhausted. Thinking that it must emotional tiredness due to her discovery that day of the letter from her mother she wasn't that worried about it, but as soon as she got home she popped her head round the kitchen door and called out,  
  
"Giles I'm not feeling too great so I'm going to go to bed now ok?"  
  
Not getting any answer she walked upstairs and collapsed onto her bed, not bothering to get undressed or even climb under the covers. Not waking up once throughout the course of the night.  
  
The next morning she woke up, and it was early she could tell that. The brittle lights signalling the dawn of a new day were just breaking over the houses and there were still a couple of phantom stars shinning in the sky.  
  
She rolled over in her bed and was shocked to find another body in her bed; there hadn't been anyone there when she fell asleep so where the hell had they come from?  
  
She sat up in bed and looked round the room making sure that it wasn't a mistake on her part, that it was in fact her room and she hadn't wondered into someone else's by mistake. Man that would have been embarrassing.  
  
Her eyes had to adjust to the darkness before she was properly able to look around at the room, the shape of it was the same as her room but the contents of it were so different she was shocked. It looked like no room she had ever seen, At least not in the council headquarters.  
  
It was a large room, bigger than she had ever needed really with a large desk at one end of the room, which took up a whole walls worth of space. Next to the desk there were several floor to ceiling bookcases which were filled with her texts from her time at hogwarts, research books for the council and her own personal collection of fiction. These were still there but there were more books then there should have been, they were all balanced hap- hazardly on the shelves. Most looking like they would fall out at any time.  
  
There was an old couch with clothes thrown all over it, posters on the wall of bands that Hope had never even heard of, the wallpaper which had covered the walls of her room, a royal blue colour. Had been replaced with a grotty cream coloured roll, which were curling at the corners and hanging limp off the walls looking very aged and the worse for ware.  
  
On her bedside table there photo's and these still remained but they were different. Some had stayed the same like the ones of Faith and Giles but there were others in the pictures. People she didn't know, children grown up's and babies who she had never ever seen before. And the most shocking of all was the one in the centre which had been of her mother holding her when she was a baby on her father sitting with his arm around them both, had been replace with a far more recent one of her mother looking aged and ill smiling weakly, at the camera with her arms round Hope and two children who she had never seen before sitting on her fathers lap.  
  
She turned to look at the person who was lying in the bed next to her and as they turned over, she was able to see her face and she realised that it was the girl from the picture who had been sitting on her fathers lap.  
  
She crawled out of bed not wanting to wake the girl up and unsure about what was happening, she went over to the couch and pulled some clothes out of the bundle that she automatically knew were hers, a pale denim pair of Jeans and an aqua marine ¾ length t-shirt. And left the room walking in the direction of the bathroom.  
  
She was shocked by what she saw o the house as she walked down the long hall way towards the bathroom, it had never been the most well kept house in the world, but it had always been well presented and neat, with the paint and wallpaper being changed or touched up once every couple of years. But the general feel of this house was age and decay. She didn't understand what was going on and she wasn't sure whether she wanted to fine out either.  
  
Stepping out of the shower she pulled an extra large towel round her dripping body and quickly dried not wanting to catch a chill. She dressed at an equally quick pace. And placing the towel where she had found it started on a slow decent down stairs.  
  
This was a nightmare she had decided while she was in the shower. There was no over explanation and so she had decided to play along with whatever happened until she chanced to wake up all alone in her own bed with sunlight pooling through the window and Faith standing the over side of her door issuing death threats until she crawled out of bed.  
  
Her first stop when she got downstairs was the kitchen, same as normal. She was starving and her stomach was really aching after some pancakes or bacon. Whichever was on offer that morning.  
  
As she entered the kitchen she stood dumbfounded staring at the scene in front of her. There sitting at the kitchen table was her mum casually drinking a cup of coffee and skimming the pages of the Daily Prophet, and standing staring out at the window was her father, he was exactly as she remembered him from that night all those years ago, except for his hair which had started to get a grey tinge to it.  
  
She stood transfixed staring at her parents; both had turned and were staring at her now wondering what the hell was going on. It was Hermione who reacted first, she stood up and walked over to Hope waving her hand in front of her face trying to draw her out of whatever place she had run to, she did not expect her eighteen year old daughter to practically throw herself into her arms and start crying passionately into her shoulder.  
  
Hermione stood there in shook for a second supporting Hope in her arms and watching shocked as the tears continued to fall down her daughter's cheeks. The second Hope had launched herself at Hermione Xander had moved forward sensing that something was wrong.  
  
He stared at his wife and the two of them held a psychic conference through their eyes, trying to guess what could be the matter with her. No one had died recently which was a gift in itself since the Dark lord was still living it large in the wizarding community with hundreds of demonic cults and powerful Vamp's included in his entourage.  
  
Hope couldn't believe it, her mother.... Mum was standing here holding as she cried, her mother... it was real it had to be real, pain like this couldn't be felt in a dream, it just couldn't  
  
She stopped as hard and hiccupped as she said  
  
"Mum...?"  
  
Hermione looked down at her daughter and said  
  
"What's wrong Hopie?"  
  
"I'm just... so happy... to see you... you were...."  
  
She started crying again and Hermione pulled her closer to her, the tears her daughter was crying causing her physical pain.  
  
"What is it baby, did you have a bad dream?"  
  
Hope looked up again and said  
  
"You... You were dead."  
  
Whatever she had been expecting, this had not been it.  
  
She started back suddenly but Xander was there to support her and his daughter as they both leaned on him in shock. 


	3. Chapter 3

Xander captured the bodies of his wife and eldest daughter in his arms and tried to support them. But found himself struggling even under their slight weight. The three of them fell to the floor in a mass of limbs as Hermione maintained her grip on her distraught daughter.  
  
He managed to pull them both up into a seated position where Hope leaned against her mother's chest and Hermione kneeled on the floor. He didn't know what to do, Hope wasn't like this. She was calm and collected not cold, but not overly emotional. This was not the Hope who had gone to bed yesterday, this was someone else, someone who he didn't know.  
  
Hermione was in shock, she couldn't believe that Hope was this upset whatever had happened in her dream must have severely spooked her, even as a child she had not been this afraid at her night mares. She continued to stroke Hope's hair and hold her as she cried, but she didn't know what to say, looking at Xander she could see that he to was shocked at their eldest daughter's behaviour.  
  
"Mummy?"  
  
Hermione looked at the doorway and saw her youngest daughter Briana standing wide eyed wearing her white cotton nightdress. She gave her a small smile, Xander stood up quickly when he was sure that Hermione could take all of Hope's weight and walked over to the door where Briana was standing and scooped her up in his arms giving Hermione a quick look before leaving the kitchen as they were leaving Hermione just heard her saying,  
  
"Daddy, what's wrong with Hope?"  
  
"Nothing Baby, Now come on let's go and see if Imala's up yet ok?"  
  
Hermione was left alone with Hope; she didn't know what to do. So she waited patiently until Hope had finished crying before asking her again what was wrong. Hope sat up and brushed her tears away and just stared at her. They sat for minutes like that until Hope reached out a hand and started to trace lightly across Hermione's face in a feather like action not leaving the trance she had entered into until she said,  
  
"It's really you isn't it?"  
  
Hermione reached across and tucked a strand of Hope's hair which had come loose behind her ear before saying,  
  
"Of course it's me, were you expecting someone else?"  
  
Hope just continued to stare at her as if she had never seen her before,  
  
"Come on Hope, what's going on? You're really beginning to scare me now."  
  
Suddenly Hope pulled away and said,  
  
"This isn't real, you're not real. I don't know what's going on but stay the hell away from me."  
  
Hermione began to move towards Hope, tears beginning to form in the corners of her own eyes now. When suddenly someone else appeared in the doorway. Hope looked over her shoulder and saw,  
  
"Faith!"  
  
She jumped to her feet and rocketed into the very surprised woman's arms, clinging to her. Once she got over her surprise she wrapped her arms around the distraught form that was now clinging to her. She sent a curious look over Hope's head to Hermione who was still sitting on the floor.  
  
Hope had felt so relieved when she saw a familiar face, she didn't understand what was happening, it was right. This wasn't the way things were meant to be. She looked up at Faith's face and gasped, along Faith's face from her forehead through her left and trailing off of her the slope of her cheek was a barely healed scar. Hope reached up and tried to touch her face but Faith turned away,  
  
"What happened?"  
  
She whispered softly, Faith just looked at her for a moment before saying.  
  
"You know what happened, you were there remember?"  
  
Hope began to shake her head back and forth falling to the floor whispering,  
  
"No I wasn't, this is all wrong, I've never been here, I shouldn't be here."  
  
Faith and Hermione just stared at her neither knowing what to say or do. 


End file.
